. >> there was mandela's fierce loyalty to anybody who had stuck by him personally and by the anc, the african national congress, his party, during his long 27 years in prison and castro did and mandela never forget it. >> reporter: in 1964, mandela and other anc leaders faced the death penalty accused of trying to over throw the government by force. >> we believed that the death sentence was going to be passed on some of us, and that is how we should be mortals and disappear under a cloud of glory. >> reporter: mandela, the revolutionary found common purpose with socialist, communist and other revolutionary leaders like gaddafi. >> cuba, iran, all my friends and i propose to honor that friendship. i welcome the friendship with the united states of america and other powers. >> reporter: the united states put mandela on the terror watch list. it wasn't until 2008 that president george w. bush removed him from it. what did mandela think of being called a terrorist? >> i tell other people who say those struggling for operation as a terrorist, i tell them that i was also a terrorist yester